Confidence
by Cosmonautsister
Summary: A telephone conversation with Nelson Gardner leaves Laurence Schexnayder questioning things.


**A/N: Goodness, I never thought I'd get around to actually publishing anything Watchmen-related. But here it is. And here's hoping it's not horrible.**

CONFIDENCE

It's 11:46 according to the clock beside Laurence Schexnayder's bed. Late, according to the man who had just been woken, and late by general standards, too. Your average citizen did not, as a rule, telephone anybody at 11:46.

Nelson Gardner is not an average citizen, no matter how much he might want to be.

Laurence sighs, rolls over in bed and picks up the telephone. "Hello, Nelson."

"Larry!" Nelson gasps, sounding desperate and relieved and remarkably not tired.

Laurence flinches. "Evening, Nelly."

"Oh Larry, I'm so glad you can talk - I do hope I didn't wake you..."

If Nelson had been in the room, Larry might have punched him (not only because it would mean that Nelson was _in Laurence's goddamn bedroom_, and after considering this, Laurence decides he'd rather not follow that particular train of thought).

"You sound upset, Nelly." Laurence says, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Nelson is about to cry, and Larry knows this; he's heard it happen before.

"I... I'm a little down, yeah." Nelson admits quietly.

"... Yeah? What's the matter?"

"It's HJ." Nelson says in a whisper, hesitating before using the man's abbreviated nickname. Laurence assumes he knows Hooded Justice by his real name, but is hesitant to share it with anybody else. Nelson, Laurence thinks, likes to believe he's special, and in this case he probably is.

Clearly it isn't enough for Nelson this time.

"What happened?" Laurence asks bluntly.

Surely enough, Nelson bursts into tears.

Laurence pulls the phone away from his ear instinctively. Nelly cries loudly, unashamedly; wailing sobs and girlish sniffles.

"Oh, Larry, it was awful!" Nelson sobs. "S-so, so awful..."

Laurence thinks his stutter makes him sound a little like Byron, when Byron has been drinking.

"He was so angry at me, I said I was sorry but I didn't know what to do, he wouldn't listen to me, Larry... And now it's ruined, the whole night is completely ruined because of this –"

"Okay, okay, calm down." Laurence says gently, just as Nelson lets out a heart-breaking sob.

"Hey!" Laurence is getting slightly uncomfortable, which says a lot about his character, since most men would've thrown the phone across the room and run screaming into the night by now. "Hey, sshh. It's alright. Calm down, Nelly."

Nelson's sobs quieten just a little. "S'not alright." He mumbles, but Larry doesn't think he means it.

"Okay. Now..." Laurence can't believe he's asking this. He really doesn't want to know. "What happened?"

"I – I was just talking to him, Larry." Nelson explains woefully. "There's so much I don't know, even after..." He pauses and breathes deeply. "I just want to get to know him better. I asked him about his family... He said he didn't want to tell me, that it was none of my business – I only wanted to know, Larry, I care about him so – so much..."

Nelson is starting to cry again. Laurence tries to calm him, wondering all the while how on earth Nelson could assume that a man like HJ needed to be cared for. "Shh, it's... It's alright."

"No, no, no it's not..." Nelly moans. "It's not... I ruined it, I'm so stupid, I ruined our night..."

"Your..." Laurence knows when to tread carefully. He's not sure whether he's repulsed or curious. "Your night?"

Nelson's sobs subside immediately. "... Larry?" He asks softly, almost reverently.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever... Been in love?"

Laurence frowns. "I'm not sure what you're getting at, Nelson."

"I..." Nelson's voice is gentle, dreamy, and cautious. "I did something tonight that I've never done before, Larry."

For someone who already had his suspicions, Laurence is very shocked. "You –" He splutters, then pauses and takes a deep breath, ready to think things over like he usually does. "Nelson, did you... Sleep with HJ?"

There's a hushed giggle from the other end of the phone line. Laurence flinches again, suddenly not worried about maintaining his composure. He's alone in bed, wearing ridiculously patterned pyjamas and talking to the most womanly man he's ever known. It's no time for being concerned about other people's assumptions.

"Yes." Nelson whispers, giggling shyly. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, I did, and oh, Larry, it was –"

Larry makes a deliberate noise of discomfort, and Nelson, god bless the little homo, recognises it.

"... I did." Nelson finishes quietly. "Oh, but... But then I went and ruined it – I upset him, we argued and he's gone and left now." He sniffles somewhat melodramatically.

"I – I'm sure he's not too angry." Laurence reasons. Nelson is quiet, and something finally clicks. "Nelson... He hasn't... Hurt you, has he?"

Laurence knows this is potentially difficult territory. Then again, Nelly will be honest with him. He's always honest with him.

"It wouldn't be the first time, you know."

Laurence knows. He knows, even though Nelly's never told anyone before, because Nelly has nobody else to tell.

"I mean, I don't mind," Nelson is saying, his voice lowered to a candid whisper, "but... Oh, Larry... Sometimes I wonder why he does it. Is... Is it because he loves me? He says so. He says it's to show how I'm his." Nelly explains, sickeningly innocent.

Laurence feels suitably ill. "Nelly, how can you let him talk to you like that?"

"I don't mind." Nelson says, and Laurence could swear he hears him smiling over the phone. "It's okay that sometimes he's a little... Rough with me. He's just a little misunderstood, you know? I'm sure he doesn't mean... Uh..." His voice trails off. "Well, he says he loves me." As if that makes it all okay.

Laurence sighs. "Look... Nelly... I care about you a lot. You know that, don't you?"

There's just a little silence on the other end of the line, and then Nelson says, "Yes, Laurence, I know. Thank you."

"Okay, good." Laurence says. "And... Look. Just remember, if anything happens, no matter what... You're your own man, Nelly. And you're a great person. Don't forget that."

"Thank you, Larry." Nelson says, in a suspiciously breathy tone. It's the one he uses when he's talking to Hooded Justice, Laurence realises, and feels more than a little disorientated.

"Night, Nelly." He mumbles, and hangs up the phone, pondering what Sally might say if she ever heard what Laurence says to Nelson almost every night. He's not sure if he even knows it himself.

END.

**A/N: I feel silly asking for reviews, but, can I have a review please? I guess constructive criticism is okay, although somewhat pointless since I've already posted this. But anything is good.**


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